The boring, only occasionally updated, musings of our Life

Over the years I have watched Kevin go from the challenge of sprint triathlons all the way to his ultimate goal of Ironman competitions. I am a nervous wreck at all his races concerned for his safety and hoping he has a good race day. Last weekend at the Louisville KY Ironman, he had a GREAT race day!! Kevin accomplished a childhood dream of qualifying to compete in the 2013 Kona Hawaii Ironman World Championship. To see him accomplish his goal after years of training (and injuries) to participate in the ultimate challenge of this elite race would give me such a great sense of pride and joy. The race will have live coverage on www.ironman.com on Oct 12th, 2013 if you want to see if you can catch of glimpse of him. Standing in the swim start line race morning. We are working out target times in order to hopefully catch a glimpse of Kevin in transition and the course.

What else have we been up to?

We went to Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona, Spain this summer for some relaxation before starting Kevin’s race season and before I had to buckle down to start studying for my boards. (We are still waiting for board results. I’m starting to think the mailman is playing a very cruel prank on me.) We had a great time in Spain going to museums, site seeing, cycling the mountains of Barcelona, relaxing on the beach and of course – eating.

I would like to say we just got back from our vacation in Vegas and promptly posted a blog discussing our time there, with beautiful pictures that tell a story of the experience. Unfortunately, we have been back for over a month and have come to realize that only a handful of the pictures are good. You would think being married to someone that constantly has a camera on vacation would yield better results but I digress.

Vegas was a duel reason trip. The main reason we traveled out there is because I had a race. The second being for fun. We flew out on the redeye Thursday night and arrived around 1 am on Friday. After a check-in debacle we were upgraded to a suite for the first night which did not disappoint. We have never seen a bathroom mirror with a built in TV but after experiencing it, it is on our list for a future bathroom remodel…once we actual have our own home again.

These kind of trips are always hard to do around a race because I want to enjoy the environment but I have to remember why I am there. For this race, I tried to enjoy the experience/trip and not let it deter me from enjoying the city. I cannot say I was completely successful but I was able to enjoy a few things…..the lunch buffet the day before the race probably was not the best idea and I certainly regretted it once I started the run on Sunday.

Friday night my best friend flew in for the weekend. Prior to picking him up at the airport, we headed over to the athlete welcome dinner. The resort was amazing and we had a beautiful evening on the lake.

After picking up my friend from the airport we headed out for dinner to Bouchon, a Thomas Keller restaurant. I have always wanted to eat at one of his restaurants and though dinner was good, it missed the mark on expectations.

Saturday was fairly low key. I had the mandatory pre-race stuff…bike and run drop off, etc. I was able to get a quick workout in and was pretty much set for the rest of day. The buffet I mentioned above was pretty awesome and may be one of the best desert sections I have ever seen…second only to the buffet we ate at on Monday. I went to bed fairly early and slept pretty well.

Race morning was pretty status quo….up extremely early to get the day started. It feels less early in Vegas because you see so many others who are still up from the previous day. Rather then go through the details of a fairly disappointing race, I put together the video below. If you want the full experience of the weather I raced in and Songkhla spectated in, watch the video in a pre-heated 400 degree oven.

Songkhla shot a good portion of it so I did not have much to work with. I am especially proud of the slow motion sequences for effect. Hope you enjoy.

Though I traditionally like to get a blizzard from Dairy Queen post race, I could not pass up the opportunity to finally eat at In and Out Burger. Plus, a shake is pretty good in and of itself. Having heard such amazing things about In and Out, I was a little surprised to find it did not hold a candle to Five Guys. Ok, maybe it can hold a candle but I would take a Five Guys Burger and Fries over In and Out any day.

By the end of the race, lunch and trips to the airport, Songkhla and I were pretty tired and ready to get some sleep to enjoy our last day in Vegas as much as possible. And enjoy we did. It was the first time we rented a car in Vegas and it was the best decision we made. I am not sure if it is my older age but I find I am unable to tolerate the strip as much as I used to. The car allowed us to get off the beaten path and take in what Nevada has to offer. We had no plans and decided to just drive and see what we find. And boy did we find things….like this big concrete structure in the valley. They call it the Hoover dam.

And that concludes our Vegas trip. However, what trip to Vegas would be complete without a picture in front of the famous sign? Actually, lots of trips to Vegas would be complete with out a picture of the sign since this was my 3rd time there and only my first time seeing the sign.

After Vegas I found a considerable chunk of time usually spent training that I now needed to fill. As such, I got to work on my man list that has been around for a year. It included the following:

Rewire phone line

Build new office desk

Spray for bugs

Give bike a deep clean

Cut the grass

Trim the hedges

Put new border strip on bookcase

I once heard those things you worry about generally take about 10 minutes to complete. Though most of these took a little longer then 10 minutes, I was able to knock them out over the weekend which now leaves me trying to find how to fill my time for all future weekends. And though I am sure there is a lot of interest in photos of each project, I decided to just highlight the desk build.

We have both been too lazy to update our loyal blog followers. Anyone still out there?

Christmas 2011

If you were wondering what we’ve been up to since Christmas…

We went on a cruise to the Grand Caymans and Cozumel

Rang in the New Year on the cruise ship.

Kevin’s office is still a mess. Yes, those are boxes that I still haven’t unpacked and he is using an ironing board as a table. Maybe I’ll finish decorating his office during my 2012 winter break.

Spring Semester of my 1st year of dental school came and went. Things were stressful but we survived and are better for it.

For my summer break we were able to take a really big vacation and traveled to Shanghai, China and Okinawa, Japan.

We had a long layover in NYC. So of course we had to take the train into the city for lunch at Katz’s Delicatessen. http://katzsdelicatessen.com/ We even made time to try a new gelato shop across the street. It was a nice treat but didn’t get the name of the place.

We had a limited amount of time in China but I think we definitely made the most of it. (I feel like every time we are overseas I take a picture of Kevin holding a map.) We got lost several times but things always turned out alright. We ate at the famous Na Xiang Steamed Bun Restaurant featured on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. But I think the highlight for Kevin was all the street food. I have no earthly idea what all we ate but for the most part it was delicious. Kevin snapped a photo of me eating what I think was fermented tofu. I look happy but it was not good. But cool to say I tried it.

I am done with my first semester of dental school. I’m so happy to have one semester under my belt but I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of my loving hubby, family, and friends (new and old). So now what am I going to do with all this time on my hands? My to do list so far consist of: (1) organize and decorate Kevin’s office, (2) read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, and (3) convince Kevin that we need to go on vacation. I’ll keep you posted on how my to do list goes.

Got in the crafty mood one day but for whatever reason all my energy was concentrated into only one corner of our house. Kevin’s “Attack of the 50ft Woman” made her debut. She has been hiding in the closet for years; however, Kevin was hoping that she could get a spot over the mantle. The vintage typewriter was a great find in Kevin’s parent’s attic and the “you are here” was an idea inspired by a recent shopping trip to Anthropologie. I had everything just laying around the house making this project FREE.

Kara, Jennifer and I met up in Madison to do some antiquing and dinner. Unfortunately, with Kara’s recent move to North Carolina and us moving to Augusta we aren’t having our annual holiday get together. Its sad to think that this is the first time in 10 years that we aren’t having one but I know I can always count on these girls. As always we had a blast.

After returning from dinner I found Kevin playing the guitar. Couldn’t resist capturing the moment with a photo.

We ended Sunday night relaxing on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree.

A lot has happened since our last post so I will not attempt to cover it all here. However, one thing that is important to address right off the bat is a raging debate that has been taking place in our house hold…..does Michelle Malkin not look like Songkhla’s long lost sister?? You be the judge:

Ok, now that the important stuff is out of the way let’s get onto what has been happening in our lives. The last few months have been largely consumed with Songkhla working to finish off her first semester in Dental school and me taking on some new responsibilities at work and finishing off my race season.

For those that do not know, Songkhla is Mrs. Prez-O-Dent of her class (trust me, I tried to talk her out of it). The biggest upside of this for me is that we have gotten invited to a few catered events; however, I am not convinced even free food outweighs the other aspects. Regardless, she has been doing fantastic in both her president role and studies. They seems to have a test daily at school which will only get capped off in early December when finals hit. Luckily I have already planned to be somewhere else during this time….not even our happy marriage would be able to survive that.

For me things have been pretty ho hum. I finished off my race season in Florida this year. The race was highlighted by the fact that most of the family got to come down and watch….well, that was probably a close second to the Five Guys burger and Dairy Queen blizzard I consumed post race. Outside that I am now in relaxation mode and ready to consume heaps of food over the holidays and indulge in things I warded off the last several months. I am also seeking a new hobby for the next couple of week so that I do not feel completely useless outside of work hours.

Other than that, things have been going well in Augusta. Halloween was a bit of a dud but Songkhla is already getting the house decorated for Christmas even though I think it is blasphmy to skip right over Thanksgiving.

Bye Bye 20’s :(…Kevin and I turned the big 3-0 this July. Like most, I’ve never been a fan of getting older. I guess its because I had such an amazing childhood that it pains me to think that time of my life are now mere memories. Although times of my past are gone, I am embracing getting better with age. There is no reason why I can’t just let loose and act a little childish during this decade of my life making new memories. Below, as always, are a few picture of what we’ve been up to.

Ran the Warrior Dash with some friends.

pre-race picture

Running through FIRE!!!

Who needs the spa for a mud facial?

Kevin about to make his birthday wish. I didn’t attempt to put 30 candles on the peanut butter cupcake and key lime tart.

We headed to Charleston SC to check off two items of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. We enjoyed lunch at the Magnolias and dinner at Bowen’s Island.

The view during our seafood birthday feast at Bowen’s Island.

Yes, that’s Kevin in a pink tutu. We rode in the Bike for the Ballet. Kevin actually didn’t ride his bike with the tutu on but he was a good sport wearing it whenever he wasn’t on the bike.

Here’s to the next 30 years being as amazing as the last 30. Cheers!!!

I like to tell people we are “homeless” but figure “nomads” sounds fancier. After moving out of the townhouse and putting everything in storage we headed off to the Pacific Northwest for some R and R.

Makya has been very stressed with all the changes. But thought I’d share this adorable picture of Makya peaking from behind one of the moving boxes.

Kevin in the back of the UHaul. Its sad to think that all of our possessions fit so easily inside a 17′ truck.

After all that hard work of packing we headed off to Seattle. The weather was rainy but that didn’t stop us from enjoying all Seattle had to offer. We had no real plans….just wondered around the city eating and drinking.

Kicking it with the Freemont Troll while eating some amazing Cuban sandwiches from Paseo www.paseoseattle.com.

Can you find Kevin?

Hanging out with Jeff in Seattle.

After Seattle, we headed down to Portland. Kevin and I made a trip out to the Oregon Coast where we went to the Goonies house. I think this was the highlight for Kevin.

While on the hunt for the Goonies house we came across the school that Kindergarten Cop was filmed. It was funny that we went to the coast to enjoy the water and beach and ended up taking pictures in front of film sites.

Our last night in Oregon. All good things must come to an end.

After returning from vacation we were on the search for our next home as to minimize our time as nomads 🙂 Luckily we found a house and we are off on our next adventure of getting settled and ready for the challenges of dental school.